Today, Century Club Charities, host organization for the Sanderson Farms Championship, presented Friends of Children’s Hospital with a check for $1,102,700, more than doubling last year’s contributions of $500,000.
John Lang, President of Century Club Charities said, “Century Club Charities’ mission is to promote golf for the benefit of charities, and our success in that effort is measured largely by the funds we raise for Friends of Children’s Hospital.”
Tournament proceeds benefit Friends of Children’s Hospital, a nonprofit organization benefitting Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Specifically, the funds raised through the Sanderson Farms Championship will go to the Children’s Heart Center, a comprehensive pediatric heart surgery program at Batson. Before its formation in 2010, patients had to leave the state for surgery.
Friends of Children’s Hospital Chairman of the Board, Sara Ray, said, “Friends of Children’s Hospital is so thankful for the support provided by the Sanderson Farms Championship and Century Club Charities. The magnitude of the contribution from the 2014 tournament is overwhelming and it will enable Friends to fund our commitment to the Children’s Heart Center sooner than planned.”
“We are pleased to have a part in the evolution of the Children’s Heart Center, and are excited to see what the future holds for this hospital,” said Joe Sanderson, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Sanderson Farms. “The primary reason this tournament exists is to raise money for Friends of Children’s Hospital, who in turn helps make Mississippi’s only children’s hospital a health-care destination.”
Sanderson continued, “We set a goal to double the Championship’s donation to Friends of Children’s Hospital from last year to a million dollars, while also showing the players, sponsors, spectators, volunteers and the general public what first-class Southern hospitality looks like. We not only met our goal, but exceeded it.”
“This year has been record-breaking in multiple areas, and we are so pleased to see that momentum translated into dollars raised for Friends of Children’s Hospital,” said Tournament Director Steve Jent. “But, this significant amount indicates more than a record-breaking contribution by the tournament. It also indicates a new era for the Championship as a premier stop on the PGA TOUR.”
Governor Phil Bryant also attended the presentation and expressed his excited amount the amount raised. He said, “Mississippi is proud to be home to the Sanderson Farms Championship, and we are even more proud of the contribution made by Century Club Charities that’s made possible by the commitment of the Sanderson Farms company. The Children’s Heart Center is so important to the families it serves, and I know this funding will help ensure that even more children have access to the highest quality medical care.”
